


Coming Home

by starlightfury



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 04:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17073458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightfury/pseuds/starlightfury
Summary: Modern AU—after a long deployment, Cassian comes home and surprises Nesta





	Coming Home

Nesta sighed, glancing at the picture on the mantel. It was a photo of her and her boyfriend, Cassian on the beach. She’d been laughing at something he said, the happiness on their faces apparent.

Oh, how she missed him.

Cassian, serving in the Navy, was in some submarine in some ocean for some amount of time that wasn’t clear to Nesta. The only information she’d been given that it would be twelve to eighteen months before they surfaced again, and possibly up to four months after that until he was able to come home. It had been thirteen months since he’d left, and Nesta figured it would probably be about nine more before he came back.

Her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket. Feyre was calling her.

“Hey sis,” Feyre said when Nesta answered. “We need to get you out of the house.”

Nesta rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with staying in sometimes, Feyre.”

“Yes, _sometimes_ , but lately you’ve been wallowing. I can’t let you wallow anymore.”

“I’m not wallowing.”

Feyre hummed noncommittally. “So you have plans today, then.”

“Well, no, but—”

“I thought not. Elain and I are taking you to the baseball game."

Nesta groaned. “Another one?”

“Come on, Nes, it’s fun!”

It was, but it wasn’t the same without Cassian. “Can we do something else?”

“Nope,” Feyre told her. “I already got the tickets.”

"Ugh. Fine.”

“Great!” Feyre said cheerily. “We’ll pick you up in half an hour.”

Nesta wasn’t really in the mood to go out and do anything (not _because I’m wallowing,_ she thought to herself), but once Feyre had an idea in her head, she wasn’t easily talked out of it.

Half an hour later, she was piled in the car with her sisters, headed downtown toward the stadium. Feyre and Elain were buzzing with excitement, chatting happily. Nesta, in the backseat, was quiet, her mind deep underwater with her love.

Rhysand and Azriel met the girls at the centerfield gate. The stadium was already bustling with fans. Nesta frowned when Rhys gave Feyre a not-so-chaste kiss and Azriel laced his fingers with Elain’s, her heart twinging. Of course they had to bring their boyfriends along; she would be fifth-wheeling for the thousandth time. To say she was sick of it was an understatement. She wished he could just come home already.

They got some food and went to their seats. They were sitting surprisingly close to the field, and Nesta got stuck with the aisle seat. Elain and Azriel were sharing a bag of peanuts and Feyre and Rhys munched on hot dogs. Not hungry, Nesta had bought just a bottle of water. She kept to herself as they waited for the game to start. Feyre nudged her shoulder.

“Don’t look so glum, Nes. It’s baseball!”

Nesta tried to smile, but it ended up as more of a grimace. “I’m not glum. The sun is just bright.”

Feyre shook her head. “I know you miss Cassian, but try to enjoy yourself, okay?”

“I’m fine, Feyre,” Nesta insisted.

Feyre looked like she didn’t believe her but turned back to Rhys. She whispered something in his hear, and Nesta caught it when he looked in her direction, his expression unreadable. She pressed her lips into a thin line.

Nesta wasn’t really paying attention as the ceremonial first pitch was thrown, and her thoughts wandered as the first inning went on. She was shaken out of her reverie when Feyre said “Stand up, Nes!” Nesta scowled up at her. Feyre tugged at her hand.

“Come on, show some excitement.” Nesta rolled her eyes but got up.

She glanced around at the crowd. Everyone was on their feet, cheering. A guy was standing on each of the dugouts, waving a flag. In the grass, the mascot was pretending to look for someone. Nesta was a little jealous at the excitement everyone seemed to have. She wished she could push Cassian out of her mind and have some fun.

She turned her attention back to the field. The mascot had opened the gate in the wall was now marching up the stairs toward her, high-fiving people along the way. Feyre looked at her, motioning Nesta to put her hand up. Nesta begrudgingly obliged. Instead of giving her a high-five, though, the mascot grabbed her hand and motioned her to come. Nesta looked back at Feyre, furrowing her brow. Feyre waved her on encouragingly. The mascot escorted Nesta down toward the field.

She didn’t know what was happening, but she did know that if Feyre had somehow orchestrated the whole thing, Nesta would have her head for it. _Relax Nesta,_ the voice in the back of her mind pointed out. _How could Feyre possibly have had anything to do with this?_

She was led through the gate and onto the field, and Nesta was beginning to become really confused. She glanced behind her again. Feyre and the others weren’t following. The mascot stopped her right at the edge of the warning track. Nesta looked around, bewildered. She turned to say something to the mascot but was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

She whirled around, then froze, stunned by what she saw.

It was Cassian, in uniform and wearing a huge grin. Her eyes filled with tears and she leapt towards him. He crushed her to him in a tight hug, lifting her up. The crowd cheered. The others joined them, and Nesta stepped back just long enough to get her bearings, wipe her eyes, and let them hug him before she reached for him again. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“It’s good to see you, Nes,” he said as they went back to their seats. “I missed you so much.”

“I can’t believe you made a spectacle in front of all these people,” she berated him, smacking his chest. But she wasn’t angry. A little embarrassed, perhaps, but definitely not upset with him. She felt light, like she was walking on air. He was home.

For the following innings, Nesta cheered louder than she had in a long time. Her smile never left her lips.


End file.
